


It's funny how worlds collide

by faeryn



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: But kinda Canon Compliant, Crack, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Sebastian Stan exists in the MCU, Set between TWS and CW, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 18:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19025353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeryn/pseuds/faeryn
Summary: [I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORKS TO BE COLLECTED IN ANY AO3 READER APP THAT USES ADS OR OFFERS PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS. IF YOU ARE READING MY WORK ANYWHERE BUT AO3 AND ARE BEING SHOWN ADS OR PAYING A SUBSCRIPTION YOU ARE BEING RIPPED OFF!]Sebastian Stan exists in the MCU, and looks a helluva lot like Bucky Barnes.Steve and Sam are still looking for Bucky, but they keep coming across thisgoddamn actorinstead.





	It's funny how worlds collide

**Author's Note:**

> This is not RPF! So I make no promises that SebStan's characterisation is in any way accurate xD It's based on the fact that someone pointed out on Tumblr that Hot Tub Time Machine was mentioned in Endgame, and Sebastian Stan was in that, so therefore there is a canonical Sebastian Stan in MCU. The character in this fic is that fictional SebStan, not our beloved Bucky actor. 
> 
> Also I believe that he is irl allergic to cats, but likes them, so I gave him a cat, sue me it's an AU :) 
> 
> Has anyone done this yet? Idc, I'm doing it too ahaha.
> 
> I didn't get a beta to look at it, since it's only meant to be fun/silly and I don't really care much if it's well written haha. So yeah, forgive bad writing and typos/mistakes :)

“I’m on my way over Sam, JARVIS got a hit on a traffic cam in New York, of all places. Suit up,” Steve’s voice was clipped and he sounded like he was running, so Sam knew not to take offence at the abrupt end to the phone call. Grabbing his gear, he abandoned his coffee and was just about ready when Steve’s curt knock came on his front door. 

“I can’t believe he’s in  _ New York,” _ Sam mumbled around half a muffin he’d managed to shove in his face before Steve arrived, “doesn’t that seem like a bad choice of cities to go underground in?” 

Steve looked soberly at him across the roof of Sam’s car. After a long moment, he just shrugged, climbing into the driver’s side without answering. 

“I guess considering it’s the first lead we’ve got after all Nat’s dried up we should be thankful. I’m just worried is all.” 

“I know, I am too, and you’re right that it’s weird. I don’t think even the Bucky  _ I _ know would be that careless. But I can’t…” Steve’s knuckles went white on the wheel for a moment, his grip tightening, “I can’t just not check because it seems too good to be true.” 

“I know, man. I just hope it’s him.” 

And the truth was that as much as Sam feared finding Bucky, he really did hope they could track him down soon. He considered being afraid of the man that had almost killed you was healthy, but he also cared a lot about his friend, and he knew that knowing Bucky was out there alone was killing Steve more than thinking he was dead ever had. 

It was a long drive to New York, but it was a damn sight quicker than trying to get a flight. Not for the first time since S.H.I.E.L.D. had disbanded Sam lamented the loss of easy access to their quinjets - which were now reserved solely for Avengers missions. Steve’s personal manhunt had to come out of his and Sam’s pocket alone, what was left of S.H.I.E.L.D. just didn’t have the resources anymore. They passed the time mostly in silence after Steve filled Sam in on the intel he’d gathered, which wasn’t much more than what he’d said over the phone. Stark had been kind enough to let them use some of his resources at Avengers Tower, largely JARVIS’ processing power, and probably would have done more if Steve wasn’t too proud to ask. He wasn’t above letting the AI run facial recognition in the background though, and although this was the first time they’d come up with anything concrete enough to act on, Sam was glad that they had something to do. He’d started getting antsy after the third week rolled by without any news. 

Steve had his game face on, and was much too focused for Sam to even think about making inane small talk. Sometimes when they were chasing leads Steve was a veritable chatty Cathy, wanting nothing more than to talk and tell stories about Bucky and the things they got up to (well, the trouble Bucky’d had to pull him out of all the time, mostly) when they were young, but this dry spell seemed to have him on edge. Sam settled for staring out of the window while staying alert to answer if Steve said anything. 

Finally, hours later, they turned into an unfamiliar street and Steve began to perk up.

“JARVIS said this is where the traffic cam caught him.”

Sam looked around doubtfully. This was a  _ nice _ neighbourhood. Very upmarket, nice homes with flowers in little baskets around some doors or kept in boxes attached to the front windows. It didn’t look like the kind of place a former Soviet assassin would hole up - it didn’t look like the kind of place that would have anywhere  _ for _ someone to hole up. He could tell without looking it up that these places were expensive, way out of budget even for a huge organization like Hydra. And while he recognized the benefit of using a safe house that looked like it couldn’t  _ possibly _ be a safe house, it just seemed… unlikely. Bucky must have been passing through - if it even was Bucky. 

“This one, look,” Steve yanked a few printed stills out of the glove box and spread them out for Sam to see. There, clearly in full-but-grainy color, he could see a man that looked suspiciously like the Winter Soldier unlocking a door. They’d stopped right outside it, but once he’d confirmed the place Steve began to crawl forward again. 

They found a place to park a few blocks away, not wanting to give away Bucky’s location to anyone  _ else _ who might be looking for him, and not wanting to spook him into leaving either. Making their way back on foot, Steve and Sam climbed the fire escape at the back of the next building over. It was the middle of the day, and thankfully most of the residents seemed to be out, but they still spent an embarrassing amount of time creeping around practically on their bellies, which would have been a hilarious sight for any onlookers. Sam thought he probably should have left his wings in the car, they were getting in the way. 

After managing to find a safe perch where they would be hidden from both the residents of the building and the street, the two of them settled in to see if there was any sign of Bucky Barnes. 

“I’ve got movement, second floor window on the right,” Sam murmured, poking at the control cuff on his wrist to zoom in. Steve leaned forward, breath held in anticipation. 

There, in a room that looked like an entertainment center, stood Bucky. The man was smiling, which looked incredibly weird to Sam, and holding something out for a frankly enormous ginger cat. Was… was this really Bucky? It was hard to tell, even with the zoom, and he was wearing a long sleeved shirt, so Sam couldn’t even confirm the presence of his prosthetic arm. He nodded to Steve, and the two of them slipped over the railing and climbed near-silently to the next fire escape. 

Quietly sliding open a window, they slipped inside and crept down the stairs. Sam couldn’t help but keep one hand on his gun, and even Steve held his shield ahead of him apprehensively. The man had his back to them when they entered the room but seemed oblivious to their entry, so focused he was on the cat. He was making  _ kissy noises _ at it, for fuck’s sake. 

“Bucky?” Steve said, his voice strained as if it was ready to crack. 

The man whirled around, surprise written all over his face, and his hands flew up defensively, cat treats scattering to the floor. 

Sam immediately noticed that the man’s left hand was decidedly  _ not _ made of metal. Well, not unless Bucky had managed to skin someone and use it as a glove, which was a revolting thought Sam immediately wished he hadn’t had. 

“Uh… who the hell is Bucky?” The man’s eyes flicked from Steve to Sam just behind him and back again. He took a small step back as Steve straightened, head tilted. Relaxing, Sam stepped up beside him and held his hands out placatingly. 

“Man, are you one unlucky son-of-a-bitch,” he couldn’t help laughing. The guy really was a dead ringer for Bucky, though he looked a little less hunted, less haunted; it sure as shit wasn’t him. 

“Because two random guys decided to break into my house in the middle of the day and I’m not making it out alive?” He asked, nervously. Then, after a beat, “hey aren’t you Captain America?”

Steve visibly sagged, the hope that had kept him tightly wound seeping out of him as he stepped forward, putting on his best ‘Cap’ face. 

“Yes, sorry for intruding. We got some information that someone we’re looking for was in this building but we appear to be mistaken. You just look…” he trailed off, an unidentifiable emotion flickering across his face so quickly Sam would have missed it if he didn’t know Steve so well, “eerily like him.” 

“Ah. Hence unlucky.” The man had lowered his hands now, seemingly more at ease after recognising his ‘assailants’ and being reassured that they weren’t here for him. “I’m Sebastian,” he offered, holding out a hand for Steve. 

“Steve Rogers, this is Sam Wilson,” Steve shook his hand and Sam gave a little wave. 

An awkward silence fell over the three men, and Sam could see Steve’s face clouded with disappointment, tension rolling back over his body. The resemblance really was  _ uncanny _ so it was understandable why JARVIS had made the error. Finally, after a moment that stretched on way too long, Sebastian gave the two of them a weak smile. 

“Can I get you guys a coffee? You look worn out.”

Sam took a step forward, trying not to look threatening despite the wing pack strapped to his back and the various guns he carried, and offered a smile of his own. 

“That would be great, thanks.” 

The stranger  _ –Sebastian–  _ led them through the house to a little kitchenette where he busied himself putting coffee in the machine. It showed a lot of trust for him to have his back to Steve and Sam, but Sam supposed he probably didn’t feel particularly threatened by  _ Captain America _ so it was probably okay. The cat had followed them, twining itself around Steve’s legs as they walked and nearly tripping him a few times. Sam would have laughed if Steve hadn’t seemed so tightly wound. The awkward silence continued, broken only by the clinking of mugs and the coffee machine’s quiet burbling. Concerned, Sam put a hand on Steve’s arm and received a minute shake of his head in return. Steve was okay, probably. 

“So, you’re looking for someone who looks a bit like me, huh?” Sebastian said suddenly, turning around while they waited for the coffee to brew. 

“Yeah, he’s… missing.” 

“Damn, that sucks. Well, you can probably rule out sightings from this neighbourhood at least?” Sebastian laughed suddenly and Steve’s head jerked as if he was startled. “If you guys have, like, a number I can call or something, I can let you know if anyone tells me about a doppelganger sighting,” he continued to laugh, though there was an edge of hysteria to it. 

“That would actually be great, we’ll take anything we can get at this point,” Sam chuckled. 

It was a surreal situation, to be honest. Here they were quietly drinking coffee with a guy who was the  _ spitting fucking image  _ of Bucky Barnes in the kitchenette of a New York redstone. Some poor schmuck who just happened to have the same damn face as him. Steve was petting his fucking cat, for crying out loud. Sam tried to relax, and scrutinised the man while he chattered inanely about something or other, Sam wasn’t really listening but Steve was finally talking again so that helped. Now that he looked more closely there were a few minute, yet significant, differences. And more than just ‘the dude definitely still had both his arms’. 

Sebastian’s hair was cropped short in a style that looked more like the photos Sam had seen of Bucky in the 40’s, for example, though in the cam footage they were going off he had been wearing a hood so there was no way they’d have known that. He also was less gaunt in the face, and his expression was open. It didn’t seem to occur to his brain to block his feelings before they showed on his face, so Sam could read him like a book. From what he remembered about Bucky the few times they’d come across him before he vanished, he’d been much more shuttered. Even when he’d been kicking Sam in the chest to send him plummeting to the ground his face had been blank, emotionless. It was a little terrifying, really. Scratch that, it was a lot terrifying, and Sam suppressed a shudder at the memory. Sebastian had laugh lines around his eyes that Bucky didn’t seem to have - at least, not that Sam remembered, he had been fighting for his life at the time after all. He looked like a happy man who lived a normal life, which of course he was. 

“Take a picture, lasts longer,” Sebastian said suddenly, fixing Sam with a Look, though he couldn’t keep the corner of his mouth from curving up in a smirk. 

Sam felt heat rush to his cheeks but, unlike Sebastian, he knew how to keep his emotions off his face. 

“That’s not a bad idea, to be honest,” he tilted his head as if considering it, “since I doubt you spend all your time around here it might stop us following any more dead end leads.” 

Sebastian looked thoughtful for a second and then began rummaging in a drawer. 

“Hang on, I might… around here somewhere… aha!” A shower of junk fell out of the drawer as he pulled an envelope out from underneath it, handing it over to Sam. “It’s a couple years old, but should be okay?” 

Inside the slightly crumpled, oddly grimy envelope was a professional headshot. Sam couldn’t help but laugh. 

“That’s a real bizarre thing to just have lying around, man.” 

“Hey it’s an occupational hazard,” Sebastian shrugged, not looking offended, “I’ve probably got a bunch squirrelled away all over, my agent likes to send me copies but I think it’s weird to put ‘em up so…”

“Oh my god you’re an  _ actor,” _ Steve laughed, suddenly relaxing again. 

“Yeah?” 

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Steve shook his head, still grinning. “Anyway, thanks for the coffee but we should get going. It’s been… weird. So weird.”

“Wanna use the front door this time?” Sebastian was grinning and picked up his cat. “Say ‘bye’ to the superheroes, Jasper,” he stroked the cat’s head and it miaowed loudly. 

“Bye Jasper,” Sam and Steve chorused. 

“I’d say don’t be a stranger, but uh… well next time I’ll make sure to lock the window.”

Sam turned back to look at him with a wolfish grin. “Trust me, won’t help.”

 

“That was… a trip.” Sam was driving them back to Avengers Tower rather than make the long trip to DC, while Steve brooded in the passenger seat, staring at the glossy photograph.

“I just don’t get how two people can look  _ exactly _ the same.” 

“Genetics. Banner can probably explain it to you, old man,” Sam teased, winding through traffic with practiced ease.

“Shut up,” Steve grinned back, “anyway, it sucks that the lead didn’t pan out, but at least we’ll be able to rule out a lot of sightings there.”

“Yeah true. Dude makes a damn good cup of coffee, too.” 

“Mm…” Steve didn’t say anything more for the rest of the drive. 

**Author's Note:**

> This has the potential to be continued, if people enjoy it enough! I just had to get at least this much down because I'm working on a mini bang fic and this wouldn't leave me be so I could finish that... Let me know if you'd like some more of this, and I might get to it sooner ;) No promises that future chapters will even be this long, but with me who knows? 
> 
> I haven't decided if/how to make this shippy yet, right now I have no real need to, but who knows what the future holds haha, I might change my mind and update the tags later. 
> 
> As always you can find me on my [fandom tumblr](https://faeryn.tumblr.com), or on my much quieter [writing tumblr](https://faerynfics.tumblr.com).


End file.
